TO GET BACK ON TRACK

OK holidays over.  Polar vortex about done.  Jersey goes back to school tomorrow.  So now what?

Yesterday I got back on my health horse.  I watched my food and got my first workout done today with Natalie B over at Lifetime.  Insanity.  Its the greatest workout ever.  She does the class on Thursday nights at the Huntley Rec Center @ 630pm.  You have to check it out and she is a great instructor.  Keeps you motivated and keeps things light and fun.  That's all you can ask for and she will exceed your expectations.  Trust me on this one.

So how are we going to do it people?  We have been in neutral for two weeks of fun holidays.  Our kids have had two extra days of vacation and now after a long break, we need to get back in the saddle of the cycle.  Perhaps the issue is seeing life as a cycle, rather than an experience.

Life can be quite boring yes.  You wake up, take a shower, go to work, come home, eat, go to sleep.  Rinse and repeat.  Now that's not very fun is it?

So what can you do?  You have to mix it up man.  Working out is one the best things you can do.  Why?  Forget about the obvious health benefits.  Yes you can lose weight.  You can gain strength.  You can do lots of things.  However, working out to me is all about one thing.

The challenge.

I have never been an athletic person.  Couldn't play sports worth a shit, but I could steal bases well.  When we were supposed to run the mile in high school, I would do something else.  However when I participate in these classes, its about getting through the class.  It's about finding a way to push yourself through the walls you never thought you could.  Its about making differences in your life.  The best part of a workout is when its over.  I don't say that because of the reason you may think.  You know, oh boy thank God that's over.  I am to tired to go on.  No because the feeling of accomplishment.

When I did my first Insanity class, I thought I was going to die.  Just walking in the door I was scared shitless.  I thought they would have to wheel me out.  And at points, you feel like you have nothing more to give.  At that point, you reach for that something something, and you find it.  Its the best feeling ever.  Honestly, I still feel like I'm going to die.  I finally got myself a heart rate monitor and my hr maxed at 176.  That is crazy stuff, but I'm ready to do it again, because why?

Because to do is to win.

Because if you think you can, you will.

When I started working out, I was at 225 LBS.  My pants didn't fit anymore.  I felt bad.  I am now at 198.  I got myself down to 194, but the holiday itch crept up on me.  Now its time to get to my goal and to stay focused, on track and do it.

That is how I get back on track.

For you it might be something different.  It doesn't have to be fitness.  It can be anything.  Learning a new skill, reading a book, cooking that meal.  Just remember the most important thing isn't how it looks when you're done.

The important thing is the path you took to get to the end and that you finished and you have now grown.

Mike C